A TripAdvisor™ TripWow slideshow of a travel blog to Um Phang, Thailand by TravelPod blogger Jate titled “Nam Tok Thilawsu (Thailand’s Biggest Waterfall)” Jate’s travel blog entry: “99 switchbacks on the road to Um Phang…99 switchbacks on the way. Take a left…then a right…still 99 more switchbacks on the road to Ump Phang. Actually, there are, as we learned from our trusty trekker guide Um (pronounced “Am” which is different from how the “Um” in Um Phang), there are 1219 switchbacks on the road from Mae Sot to Um Phang. Imagine you are in the back of a pick up truck that has been configured with a hard top barely high enough to seat your six foot plus frame on a lightly padded two-by-four so your legs can be angled at 75 degrees. That’s what Thai’s call a songthaew (“thaew” pronounced like “ow” in cow), and it’s a very popular mode of public transport for Thais. Yep, five hours, 160 kilometers and 1219 switchbacks later, Kate and I made it to Um Phang…I am such a whiner, unbelievable. Seriously, we are in Thailand…I mean Thailand! And not only are we in Thailand, we spent the day rafting a river with three guides before enjoying a 10 km hike to a peaceful campsite near the sixth largest waterfall in the world! What a retour!?! I call it a retour because Kate and I had this trip to Um Phang on our original itinerary, then removed it because of some lost time both in Bangkok getting our Vietnam Visa ready and in Chiang Mai getting sick, and finally put it back …

1. Tourist visas allow visitors to enter and exit Vietnam at Hanoi, HCMC and Danang air-ports or at any of its twelve land borders, three each with Cambodia and China, and six with Laos.

2. Only citizens of certain countries can visit Vietnam without Vietnam Visa. Those countries include: most citizens of ASEAN countries are no need Vietnam entry visa for visit Vietnam within 30 days; citizens of Korea, Japan & Scandinavians (Norway, Denmark, Sweden and Finland passport holders) are no need visa to vietnam for visit Vietnam within 15 days. All other citizens are required to get Visa Vietnam before departure (Vietnam entry visa issued prior to departure by Vietnamese consulates or embassies) or a pre-approved Vietnam Visa (visa is issued on arrival at Vietnams International Airports) supplied before arrival in Vietnam.

3. Tourist visas are valid for a single 30-day stay. The government often talks about issuing visas on arrival to certain favoured nationalities, but as yet this sensible scheme has failed to materialise. Arranging the paperwork for a Vietnamese visa has become fairly straightforward, but it remains expensive and unnecessarily time-consuming.

4. It is possible to arrange a visa on arrival through a Vietnamese travel agent. They will need passport details in advance and will send a confirmation for the visa to be issued at your airport of arrival. In Asia the best place to pick up a Vietnamese visa is Cambodia, where it COST A around US$30 and can be arranged the same day. Bangkok is also a popular place as many agents offer cheap packages with an air ticket and visa thrown in.

5. If you plan to spend more than a month in Vietnam, or if you plan to exit Vietnam and enter again from Cambodia or Laos, arrange a three-month multiple-Visa. These cost around US$95 in Cambodia, but are not available from all Vietnamese embassies. In our experience personal appearance influences the reception you receive from airport immigration – if you wear shorts or scruffy clothing, look dirty or unshaven, you can expect problems. Try your best to look ‘respectable’.

6. No Vietnam Visa for traveling to Phu Quoc Island Vietnam : Foreigners and Vietnamese nationals bearing foreign passports who enter Vietnam through an international border gate and then travel to Phu Quoc Island and stay in Phu Quoc less than 15 days will also be exempt from Vietnam entry visa application. Passports must be valid for at least 45 days. After arriving in Phu Quoc Island, if visitors want to travel other localities or stay in the island for more than 15 days, the immigration department will be responsible for issuing visas right on the spot.